tonight on "nightline" -- first lady michelle obama talks about her life on the trail. as the president tells diane sawyer about why he stumbled in last week's debate. and 600 miles per hour on a death defying ride. >> just another day at the office. the best office in the world. >> we are flying high with one ground breaking female fighter pilot. plus, we bite into the most expensive burger on earth. who is buying it? what are the ingredients that get sandwiched inside this gold-leaf bun. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news with terry

moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline." october 10th, 2012. good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. thank you for joining us. the presidential race is tightening this week with polls shifting in mitt romney's favor as president obama's widely criticized performance at the first presidential debate. my colleague diane sawyer spoke with the president in the first television interview since that night. to find out what happened on stage. >> that debate, what happened? >> well, governor romney had a good night. i had a bad night. >> how bad? >> well not the first time i have had a bad night. but i think what is important that the fundamentals of what this race is about haven't changed. >> we are told you watched it split screen. >> uh-huh. >> did you? >> well i watched it afterward. >> was it painful to watch? >> no.

look -- diane, i have got to tell you that these are marathons they're not sprints. >> is it possible you handed him the election that night? >> no. >> you are going to win? >> yes. >> you want it more than the first time? >> absolutely. >> but the race is close. and tensions are high. with 26 days remaining until the election we hit the campaign trail with first lady michelle obama. who is being deployed to swing states from virginia to colorado. we caught up with her for our series "the contenders -- family ties." yesterday, we were backstage with michelle obama on the campaign trail. if she looks a bit tense it's because she knows in an election this close, every vote counts. we are in sterling, virginia, only 29 miles from the white house, but deep in the heart of

swing state territory. >> when we win virginia we will be well on our way to putting barack obama back in the white house for four more years. >> her job as the election draws near is to testify to her husband's merits. >> he is funny. i am funnier. >> and turn his cool persona just a little bit warmer. >> in terms of star wattage i rank below michelle, the girls and bo. >> she certainly was a hit at the democratic national convention in charlotte. >> e hai have seen firsthand th being president doesn't change who you are, no, it reveals who you are. >> the speech showed she perfected the art of the cut that doesn't draw blood. that night she never mentioned mitt romney by name, but in praising her husband, she really seemed to be making a point about his opponent. >> he believes when you have worked hard and done well, and walked through that door way of opportunity, you do not slam it

shut behind you. >> do you think mitt romney is the kind of guy that slams the door behind himself? >> i don't talk about other candidates. i don't talk about other people. all i can talk about is my husband and the values that he brings. >> one senses this harvard educated attorney has trained herself to side step conflict. observe when we asked her about the tape from a private fund raiser where mitt romney said 47% of americans believe they are victims. what do you think we learned about mr. romney in those tapes? >> you know, again, i do not even begin to, you know, get into that kind of back and forth. i do know that barack has made, i think some very eloquent statements about those remarks that i completely agree with. i don't think that i have got any more to add than what he said. >> what is clear to me. >> she learned to measure her word carefully. in february of 2008, she was roundly criticized for comments she made during this speech in

wisconsin. >> for the first time in my adult lifetime i'm really proud of my country. >> her remarks ignited a firestorm. >> i am proud of my country. i don't know about you if you hear the word earlier. i am very proud of my country. >> leading to questions about her patriotism. but now with a 65% approval rating, she is seen as a campaign asset, being deployed in swing states across the country. >> you all are our best advocates. >> meeting with groups, large and small. >> i am still married to the guy. >> she is just about the best rung partner any political candidate could have. >> the campaign hopes she can help turn out the base for her husband even if some of the voters are far less excited than they were four years ago. >> there are so many people in this country who voted for your husband and yet who have a sense of disappointment that more wasn't able to happen in the last four years. >> i would say there is nobody

who is less satisfied and knows there is more to do than my husband. yeah, we, there has been a lot accomplished. barack of all people knows that there is still folks hurting and there is still work to be done. he is not finished until the work gets done. >> have you had to pull back some of your own expectations, what was possible from even this perch? >> you want -- you want 100%. and you get 40%. and you, and you take it. and you keep working for the 100%. you never let it go. but you don't, you know, turn your nose up at 40% because that is growth. that is change. that's movement. >> it has to be kind of frustrating though. one of the themes of your husband's last campaign was we are going to come to washington it is not going to be business as usual. we are going to work together, we're going to, and it hasn't happened. one could make a strong point.

>> it's been 3 1/2 years, you know? it's been 3 1/2 years. you know, real change takes time. >> considering how ugly the campaign has been, it's interesting that she says she feels a sort of solidarity with her counterpart on the trail. >> you know, i know that ann romney is playing for the other team. is there a certain sisterhood between women who are in this position of -- of having their husbands seek the presidency? >> absolutely. anyone -- regardless of party or position, who ever makes this kind of sacrifice, you know, and says to myself, i am going to put my family, my life on the line, whatever it is, and i am going to run for office, and i am going to serve the people of this country, they deserve a pat on the back. because that's how this democracy works. >> while she is working hard to help her husband serve four more years she says what matters most to her will still be there on

election day. win or lose. what would you look that you don't have right now? >> oh, gosh. you know what? i am, i feel so blessed and so content. i have what any parent would want. i have got a husband who loves me. i have got two kids that are healthy and happy. and i wouldn't dare ask for anything more. while many of you have asked whether ann romney is going to be featured on "nightline." we have a request pending with the campaign and hope to be on the road with her very soon. next up, we're sky high at massive speed with a very special fighter pilot. >> announcer: abc news "nightline" brought to you by viagra. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

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>> announcer: "nightline" continues from new york city with cynthia mcfadden. flying at supersonic speeds while navigating hairpin curves is allen a day's work for an air force fight e pilot. for one woman it is her life's passion. not only the first female fighter pilot in air force history, but now the first woman to lead a fighter ring some 5,000 strong. abc's martha raddatz brings us this amazing ride. >> reporter: the preflight prep is always intense. the mask must be perfect. the oxygen flow. the g-suit. but having the commander of the 5,000-member fighter wing at your side, the first female in history to hold the job, makes this all the more exciting. it is the most thrilling,

death-defying ride you can imagine. 600 miles per hour. split-second timing, and formations that can be uncomfortably close. >> whoa. >> reporter: with colonel jeanie flynn-leavitt piloting the strike eagle from behind the visor i could not be in more capable hand. not only is she a decorated fighter pilot, she has broken through gender barriers that can only be called legendary. >> my whole childhood i dreamed about flying. i went to air shows. i loved looking up and seeing airplanes. and i always wanted to fly. >> reporter: the world of combat aviators was the most male, testosterone driven culture imaginable. women were welcomed. >> this is what i call a target-rich environment. >> reporter: but not in the cockpit. it wasn't just movies like "top

gun." military brass argued fiercely against allowing females in combat aircraft. >> if you want to make a combat unit ineffective, assign some women to it. >> reporter: or so they thought. like it or not, things were about to change. >> the secretary of defense has ordered that all the services permit will tiomen to fly. >> for the air force the young lieutenant who garage waited at the top of her flight training class would be the first. >> i realize not every person wanted this to happen. some did, some didn't. i realize it is pretty irrelevant. >> when i started flying i didn't focus on me being different i focused on trying to do my best. >> reporter: but the pressure and spotlight on the first female combat aviators was enormous. just months after jeanie flynn finished flight school, the

navy's first female carrier-based pilot crashed on approach. >> raise your gear. power. eject. eject. >> reporter: her death brought renewed calls of disapproval. and a new approach in managing the women. they virtually disappeared from the public eye. >> the attention made it harder to become part of the squadron. when they realized i was not trying to change things. i wanted to be the best fighter pilot i could be. when they realized i was competent i was accepted. >> reporter: competent is putting it mildly. in the last 20 years, the now 46-year-old fighter has logged more than 2,700 hours. 300 in combat over iraq and afghanistan. and been a weapons instructor. the best of the best. take that, maverick. ♪ danger zone >> taking heavy fire.

stand by. >> reporter: on this day in north carolina, the colonel is training others for combat. >> the training tries to simulate an actual battle with an enemy on the ground firing at american forces. >> good afternoon, ma'am. >> reporter: but jeanie leavitt's life is not all work and breaking barriers. along the way marriage to a fellow fighter pilot and two adorable children. >> do either of you want to fly jets when you grow up? >> i do. >> i do. >> you both do? >> when you look back at your career are you the little girl saying i want to fly and i can't belief what i have done? >> this is beyond my dreams. i wanted to fly fighters. and to have been able to have done that and move throughout the ranks and find myself as fighter wing commander is amazing. >> reporter: just another day at the office. >> the best office in the world. >> reporter: for "nightline,"

i'm martha raddatz over seymour johnson air force base north carolina. what an amazing woman. tonight, our own amazing martha raddatz will moderate the vice presidential debate. we will be watching and hope you will too. ahead we put our money where our mouth is and take a bite out of the planet's priceyest hamburgers. [ male announcer ] this is the age of knowing what you're made of. why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra

if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor.

okay, be honest. can you imagine a hamburger you would pay $295 for, loaded with truffles and flecks of actual gold and complete with bragging rights. but why? abc's t.j. winick brings us a taste of the high life for tonight's "sign of the times." >> reporter: you won't find

quayle egg, truffles and caviar on just any mound of meat. >> the meats range $40 to $80 a pound. >> reporter: say hi to the hamburger as rich in cost as it is in taste. what is the most expensive ingredient? >> they're all top of the line, black truffles, caviar, sea salt that is smoked with al dechder . >> serendipity 3, known for the $1,000 ice cream sundae cooked up a $295 hamburger. even guinness certified it the most expensive in the world. >> this is our kind of secret the we are going to split this open and we are going to infuse it. this is -- white truffle butter infused with ten different herbs. heaven to bite into that herb butter. >> reporter: don't forget the bun. in this case flecked with pure 24-karat gold flakes from switzerland. does the bun have its own security detail?

>> it should. it should. at the price of gold now it should. yes. >> reporter: this burger even comes with its own jewelry, a solid gold diamond encrusted tooth pick. have you ever seen any one actually pick their teeth with this? >> absolutely. >> reporter: if you think a $300 burger is over the top. you are not alone. >> 666 burger plane burger seasoned. >> reporter: the two men, founder of 666 burger truck aren't big fans of the gore may burger movement. okay they hate it. >> what could be the best way to really show my disgust, short of, you know burning the places down. >> reporter: his answer, a burger that is wasteful and useless. his word not mine. the price tag $666. >> it is kind of like the only joke you could eat. but it doesn't mean the burger is going to taste good. >> reporter: cheese, mockingly melted in champagne steam. the whole thing wrapped in gold

leaf and topped with lobster, truffles and caviar. >> looking for the most expensive ingredients possible and that would make no sense together. >> reporter: at serendipity three, joe insists it's not just the price. expensive is easy to do, find expensive ingredients throw them together. if they don't work together it is a disaster. >> reporter: who would actually buy this extravagant burger? wow. that's good. that is, that is amazing. serendipity 3 sold a handful of theirs. as for 666, guess what there haven't been any takers. for "nightline," t.j. winick in new york. oh, my goodness. well, a final note tonight. last night we told you about a 10-year-old girl, jessica ridgeway who vanished in colorado. late tonight, two law enforcement sources have told abc news, investigators have reason to believe they have found her